


Just a Dream

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Fluffvember 2019 [10]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-27 06:53:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21387931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: After a nightmare wakes Snorkmaiden, she goes upstairs to check on Moomin and Snufkin, tailed by Little My. Time for an impromptu sleepover and late night conversations about nightmares - and dreams.Fluffvember Day 10: “I had a nightmare… can you stay up with me?” | “Oh my god, just pet my hair already.”
Series: Fluffvember 2019 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533602
Comments: 6
Kudos: 69





	Just a Dream

Snorkmaiden woke with a small moan.

Oh, what a terrible dream...she went to roll over, only to realize when she began to move that her pillow was wet.

She raised a paw to her face, and it came away damp, proving that she'd been crying in her sleep.

Slowly, so she wouldn't wake Little My, she crept down from the top bunk and made her way to the bathroom, to wash her face and hopefully, wash away the dream as well.

Unseen behind her, Little My made a soft groan in her sleep and rolled over, her eyes cracking open.

\---XXX---

In the bathroom, Snorkmaiden splashed water on her face, gently washing away the evidence of her crying.

Outside, she heard the thunder crack, and she peered out the small window to see that the storm had only gotten worse.

Thank goodness Moominmamma talked Snufkin into spending the night, she thought, shuddering at the image of him out in this in his tent. He'd surely done it before, but...

In the hallway, Snorkmaiden hesitated. She should go back to bed, put the dream behind her and try to go back to sleep.

On the other, she was still more upset than she'd realized. And Snufkin and Moomin were right upstairs, it wouldn't hurt to just peek in on them...would it?

Carefully, as quietly as possible, Snorkmaiden made her way up the stairs towards Moomin's room.

The sound of the rain was louder up here, and she glanced out the window by his door, down to Snufkin's tent.

The wind was lashing at the canvas, making it shudder and snap, and Snorkmaiden shivered as she watched. She loved Snufkin, really she did, but she couldn't understand how he enjoyed living in a tent all year around.

She opened the door to Moomin's room, glancing inside.

As she'd thought, he and Snufkin were sharing the bed. They were a bit big for that now, almost too big to fit both on the bed, but she couldn't blame them for it.

Once he was comfortable with them, Snufkin had surprised even himself by turning into a sleep cuddler, and Snorkmaiden wished she could find excuses to share a bed with him. He looked so much softer like this, unlike the pointy way he put on at times when he wanted left alone.

And to cuddle with Moomin...Snorkmaiden sighed and reminded her heart to calm down. She and Moomin were dating, so what if she wanted to bring Snufkin into their cuddles?

He was still here, that was what mattered.

She wasn't really relieved, but she turned to go back to bed anyway. Maybe now she could get back to sleep.

There was a soft noise from the bed.

“Snorkmaiden?” Snufkin asked, his voice thick and heavy with sleep, eyes barely open when she turned back.

“Go on back to sleep,” she said softly. “It was just a nightmare.”

Snufkin sat up anyway, rubbing at his eyes. “Must've been bad to bring you up here,” he said, as softly as she. “Do you need to talk about it?”

Snorkmaiden paused. “I...I'm not sure.”

“Is something wrong?” Moomin asked sleepily, propping himself up on one elbow to peer around Snufkin.

“Snorkmaiden had a nightmare,” Snufkin answered before she could.

Moomin woke the rest of the way, holding out his paws for Snorkmaiden.

Feeling a bit like a child who'd woken and gone to her parents for reassurance, Snorkmaiden came over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Snufkin shifted and she found herself toppling over on top of the other two.

There was giggling and soft eeps as the three shifted and squirmed until Snorkmaiden was securely in the bed as well, sandwiched between Snufkin and Moomin.

It was nicer than she'd thought it would be, to feel Snufkin pressed against her back, Moomin snuggled against her front, their arms draped around her.

“Want to talk about it or just go back to sleep?” Moomin asked. “It must have been pretty bad to get you out of bed. But we'll keep more of them away.”

“I woke up crying,” Snorkmaiden admitted. “It was just...it combined some of my worst ones into one. Snork's flying machine failed, and he was gone, forever. I'm not sure if it killed him or he just ran off, it was a dream so it wasn't being clear. But it was getting on to spring, and Snork was gone, and Moomin was pining, and Snufkin was never going to come back. I don't know why, but I knew something horrible had happened and even if he was still out there we were never going to see him again.”

She sniffled, and felt Snufkin's arms tighten on her. “I'm sorry, I'm not trying to...”

She felt Snufkin bury his face in the fur between her shoulder blades. “I know,” he said, muffled.

“It just hurt so much,” she said, sniffling harder. “I lost all three of you at once, it felt like everything was gone.”

Moomin brushed away her tears and wrapped his arms around her as she cried. Snufkin pressed himself against her back wordlessly, letting her feel his presence. He was here, he was safe, and so was everyone else.

“Sorry,” Snorkmaiden said, sniffling softly as the tears came to an end. “I'm being silly.”

“Nightmares can be rough,” Snufkin said, more understanding in his voice than she'd expected.

“...are we having a slumber party and not inviting me?” Little My's voice asked from the doorway.

She climbed up onto the bed before they could answer, draping herself across all three of them.

“Did I wake you up?” Snorkmaiden asked.

Little My shrugged. “I was half awake anyway. So, bad dream, huh?”

Snorkmaiden curled up as much as she could. “...yes,” she said quietly, in a tiny voice.

Little My leaned her chin on her crossed arms. “You tell anyone and I'll deny it, then bite you when you least expect it,” she said. “But I've had dreams like that too. Where Snufkin doesn't come back. I can't tell if I'm more mad or sad when I have them.”

Snufkin shifted, and there was a confused few seconds as they all moved he could get Snorkmaiden to roll over.

Little My ended up in Snufkin's arms, up against Snorkmaiden. He touched Snorkmaiden's snout lightly, still a little shy about physical contact but granting it now.

“I can't promise something won't happen out there. We all know I can't control that. But I promise Moomin every autumn, and now I'll promise you and Little My, too. I'll come back,” he said, and the tone of his voice was solemn, an echo, a vow. “You've made me a home port, not an anchor. I want to come back to all of you. Do you know how many place I go back to?”

“A dozen?” Moomin volunteered.

“Five?” Snorkmaiden offered.

“One. Here. This is the only place I return to time and again,” Snufkin said gently. Then he laughed lightly, a small smile on his face. “So just pet my hair already like you obviously want to. I'm right here, and so's Moomin, and Snork's fine.”

Snorkmaiden's still teary eyes lit up at the invitation. She raised a paw, hesitantly smoothing it over Snufkin's hair. When he closed his eyes and leaned into the touch she grew bolder, running her fingers through it. His hair was softer than she'd expected, cleaner, though it could do with a good brushing.

She could almost feel Moomin's wish to do the same behind her, and after a moment to indulge herself, Snorkmaiden wrapped her arms around Snufkin and rolled them over, herself and Snufkin and Little My, laughing as the two in her arms made sounds of surprise, more undignified than she'd expected out of the pair, as they all shuffled once more, Snufkin now in the middle.

Snufkin grumbled softly but nestled down anyway, the grumbling changing to soft laughter as he gave up on hiding how much he was actually enjoying this – not that he'd been fooling any of them as it was, as he didn't feel the need to. Snorkmaiden wrapped her arms around him, cuddling him close as if he were an overlarge teddy, and Moomin wrapped his arms around them both.

There had been a time where if someone had suggested to any of them that someday they'd been comfortable enough, affectionate enough, loving enough, with each other to sleep like this, to cuddle and tumble about together, it was likely none of them would have believed it.

But right here and now, it felt right.

“I'll bet you never have nightmares,” Snorkmaiden grumbled softly.

Snufkin chuckled. “I do. I just don't usually let people see me when I do.”

She cracked open an eye. “You don't?”

Snufkin shrugged, feeling Moomin's worry behind him. He released Little My enough to squeeze Moomin's arm. “Well, who did I trust enough to tell them I have nightmares? Let alone see me?”

That earned him a nuzzle from both sides. “It's all right, really,” he said, blushing and unable to fend them off if he'd wanted to.

“What could you dream about?” Little My asked.

“I could ask the same of you, you're not afraid of anything,” Snufkin said. “Except, apparently, me disappearing again.”

“Fine. Well I won't tell you then, unless you tell yours.”

“...I dream about getting lost on my way back, without even the stars to guide me. I dream about the day the ocean disappeared, and this time it'll never come back. I dream I was away too long and everyone in Moomin Valley forgot me, and I was replaced. I dream I come back, and no one's waiting for me. No one cares if I came back or not anymore, or they take for granted that I will and just expect me to do it because I always have.”

The arms around Snufkin squeezed tighter, and Snorkmaiden's paw returned to his hair.

“We could never forget you, no matter how long you were away,” she said. “No, I promise you, Snufkin. Some people move in and out of people's lives without leaving a mark, but you're not one of them. And with how we all have nightmares about you not coming back, I don't think you have to worry about us not caring.”

“Sometimes I wish some people didn't talk about me,” Snufkin grumbled, but he settled firmer into their arms. “My?”

She'd been silent while they spoke, and was reluctant to speak, but did when he squeezed softly, into Snufkin's chest. “No one will talk to me anymore. Moomin got hurt again, or they just decided I was too nasty to be around anymore. And I'm left all alone, no matter what I do.”

Snufkin rubbed his cheek against her hair. “We love you. We wouldn't and we won't.”

Little My clung to his shirt and didn't reply. She didn't do vulnerable, and doing it now left her shaken. Enough that she just wanted to burrow down between her brother and Snorkmaiden and let the moment pass.

“I guess it's rough having so many siblings,” Snorkmaiden said.

“Momma tries, but there's just too many to really give each of us attention most of the time,” Little My said with a shrug.

“No wonder you're so loud,” Moomin said from Snufkin's other side.

Snufkin squeezed her again. “We all know what your nightmares are,” Little My said, ready for the attention to be on someone else. “Snufkin not coming back.”

“I've dreamed about the Groke, too, or about...well, yes, Snufkin getting into trouble while he's traveling,” Moomin admitted. “And not coming back.”

There was silence over the bed then, deep, unhappy silence as the weight of their nightmares seemed to press down on them, darkening the shadows and hiding in the growl of the thunder.

“Sometimes I dream about the stars,” Snufkin said abruptly. “We fly the hobgoblin's clouds up into the sky until we're flying with them, and we can hear them singing. Or of places I've seen, days in Moomin Valley. Not any in particular, just good ones.”

“...one time I dreamed Moomin House turned into gingerbread and we all had a contest to see who could eat the most of it,” Snorkmaiden said.

There was a brief paused before they all started laughing.

“I love it,” Moomin said when the laughing died down. “Oh, oh, one time I dreamt I rode to Snufkin's rescue on the hobgoblin's clouds...then I fell off and fell out of bed.”

“Oh, poor Moomintroll,” Snorkmaiden cooed, though the effect was ruined by her continuing giggles. The paw petting Snufkin's hair reached over to touch Moomin, and Snufkin squeezed the paw around his waist.

They talked like that until dawn stained the sky, and even if it was a long, sleepless night, it was still a good one, filled now with laughter that drove the darkness and fears away.


End file.
